This invention relates to an apparatus for filling containers with discrete articles. In particular, the invention concerns an apparatus for filling containers with a predetermined number of pills or tablets.
The invention will be described with reference to an apparatus for filling containers with pills or tablets. It should be appreciated that this description is given by way of example only and that the apparatus of the invention may also be used for filling containers with discrete articles other than pills or tablets.
One known apparatus for filling containers with a predetermined number of pills or tablets has a tablet hopper into which a quantity of tablets to be deposited into containers may be placed. Vibrating trays are located downstream of the hopper and the hopper deposits tablets onto the trays. The trays have a downstream end located at a height less than the upstream end of the trays and each tray has a plurality of longitudinally extending channels. When the trays vibrate the tablets accumulate into a plurality of discrete rows and are conveyed towards the downstream end of the trays. The rows of tablets are combined into streams above a container transporting conveyor which transports a line of empty containers transversely of the apparatus and below the streams and transports filled containers transversely of the apparatus and away from the streams of tablets. The conveyor has gates which may inhibit the passage of the containers whilst they are being filled. A counting mechanism is associated with each of the rows which ensures that only a desired number of tablets are deposited into the containers.
This prior filling apparatus is slow in its operation because typically only two containers may be filled at any one time. In addition, the containers must be held stationary during filling and this further slows up the operation of the apparatus.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a container filling apparatus which at least minimises the disadvantages of the prior apparatus described above.
According to one aspect of the invention there is provided an apparatus for filling containers with a predetermined number of discrete articles, the apparatus having a container conveyor for transporting containers to be filled to the apparatus and for transporting filled containers from the apparatus, a rotatable filling head positioned adjacent the container conveyor the filling head having a plurality of circumferentially spaced metering stations each for metering and dispensing a stream of a predetermined number of discrete articles into a container, a container carousel having a plurality of container receiving zones and mounted for rotation with the head, whereby a plurality of containers are filled by the head as the carousel moves the containers in synchronism with the head and filled containers are presented to the conveyor by the carousel and conveyed away from the filling head.
A drive may be present for rotating the filling head. The apparatus may include a shaft to which the head is mounted for rotation.
The filling head has a plurality of circumferentially spaced metering stations each for dispensing tablets whilst the head rotates and for counting the number of tablets as they are dispensed so that a predetermined number of tablets may be dispensed into a plurality of container during rotation of the head. Once the desired number of tablets have dispensed into the container by a particular metering station, the station functions to prevent further tablets from being dispensed into that container.
The metering stations may have a rotatable sorting wheel for picking up tablets from a supply of tablets within the station and for orienting the tablets for dispensing the tablets in a continuous stream. The metering station may have a sensor for detecting tablets in the stream and for allowing the tablets to be counted. A gate assembly may be present for inhibiting the dispensing of tablets from a metering station once a predetermined count has been achieved. Preferably, when the dispensing action nears completion and almost the desired number of tablets have been dispensed into a container, the rotation of the wheel is slowed down and when the desired count is reached the rotation of the wheel is stopped.
The gate assembly may include a moveable gate member which may be moved into and out of the stream of tablets in a metering station. The gate member may be moved in any suitable way. For example, each gate may be operated by a pneumatic cylinder assembly.
The apparatus has a platform on which containers being filled may be supported. The head is moveable relatively towards and away from the platform so that containers of a variety of sizes may be filled. Preferably it is the head which is moved and the platform remains still.
The carousel receives containers from the conveyor and moves the containers over the platform as the head rotates. As the head is moved vertically to adjust the apparatus for use with different size containers, the carousel moves with the head. The carousel has a plurality of container receiving zones and the number of zones corresponds to the number of fillings stations.
The apparatus may have an outfeed carousel which picks up filled containers and transports them to the conveyor. The outfeed carousel is mounted for vertical movement with the filling head.
The apparatus may have an infeed carousel which picks up containers to be filled and transports them from the conveyor and presents the empty containers to the container carousel. The infeed carousel may be mounted for vertical movement with the filling head.
The conveyor is preferably located to one side of the apparatus. Any suitable conveyor such as a slat conveyor or belt conveyor may be used.
The apparatus may include a tablet elevator located to one side thereof. The elevator may have a bin mounted for movement between a lowered filling position and a raised dispensing position. In the dispensing position, tablets may flow from the bin and into the metering stations as the filling head is caused to rotate.